06Jan16

Airfield in South China Sea better serves public good

China's testing of a newly-built airfield on Wednesday on Yongshu Jiao, a reef
in the South China Sea, is nothing more than an effort by the country to better
serve the needs of the great many vessels and seafarers using one of the
world's busiest shipping lanes.

The test, with the airport itself signifying a breakthrough in ocean exploration
for humankind, calls for a break from the mindset of geographical competition.
The airfield would provide benefits due to its convenient location on a reef in
the middle of a vast sea, and would also help facilitate maritime research and
conservation.

To begin with, China does not even have a need to reaffirm its sovereignty
over the island in the way some have claimed since its sovereignty over the
Nansha Islands and the adjacent waters has been indisputable and
self-evident.

It will by no means undermine the regional peace and stability, either. Instead,
it will greatly enhance the safety of the vessels on the vast South China Sea
by facilitating search and rescue, disaster prevention and reduction, and
research and conservation from a Chinese land base.

Some 100,000 vessels from various countries and regions sail on the South
China Sea each year, accounting for about 50 percent of the world's
commercial shipping. Safety and security are a concern for those navigating
this area, which is known for its rough waters and often aggressive pirates.

When the MH370 flight carrying 239 people went missing in March 2014, it
took the rescue vessels and aircraft quite some time to arrive at the places
initially believed to be where the flight went missing in the vast sea. A land
base like Yongshu Jiao could have significantly reduced the time it took the
rescuers to arrive there, experts say.

The first few hours are often critical for maritime search and rescue operations
and there are obvious advantages to a land base nearby.

Moreover, records show China has traditionally been charged with providing
public services on the Nansha Islands such as radio stations, observatories
and lighthouses. Yongshu Jiao, which literally means the reef of eternal
summer, saw the establishment of an ocean observatory by China in 1988 as
part of an international effort led by the UNESCO.

Over the past 27 years, China has used the observatory, part of the Global
Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS), to provide oceanographic and
meteorological data to the World Meteorological Organization. Its emergency
alert service has made a significant difference, too.

With the airfield on Yongshu Jiao, China can provide what the ships and
seafarers need urgently — another lifeline. The Chinese government has made
it clear that there would be a runway conforming to civil aviation standards and
other upgraded facilities aimed at facilitating search and rescue, disaster
prevention and reduction, and navigation safety.

In a break from the mindset of geographical competition, such a land base in
the middle of a vast sea would also serve public good by enabling research
and conservation efforts that would otherwise be impossible.

China has always upheld and practiced a policy of peace and development.
The airfield shouldn't be a cause for concern for anybody. There has never
been, and will not be, any problem concerning the freedom of navigation and
over-flight in the South China Sea that all countries are entitled to under
international law, after all.

[Source: Xinhua, Beijing, 06Jan16]

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